Track-sanding mechanism.



PATE NTED JUNE 9, 1903,

E. M.. YHEDLEY. TRACK SANDING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATIOQ TILED TEE. 25.11903.

N0 MODEL.

Patented June 9, 1903.,

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD M. HEDLEY, or DEPEW, NEW YORK.

TRACK-SANDlNG MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,536, dated June 9, 1903.

Application filed February 28, 1908. Serial No. 145,146. (No model.) 1

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD M. HEDLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Depew, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track-Sanding Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The present invention has relation to that class of pneumatic track-sanders commonly used upon locomotives, trolley-cars, and like vehicles for aiding in the prompt checking or stopping of the car or train by distributing sand upon the track in front of thewheels.

Heretofore track-sanders have been provided with traps located at points intermediate the sand-box and the pipe whereby the sand was delivered to the rails. In some track-sanders the sand is discharged from the trap by a blast of air delivered into the trap and serving to force the sand therefrom and down into the delivery-pipe leading from the trap to a point adjacent the wheels. In another form of track-sanders the sand-delivery pipe has been provided with an ejector adjacent its discharge, and the sand-trap has been provided in'its upper portion with an opening admitting atmospheric air to the trap, so that when a blast ofair orsteam was forced through the ejector it would serve to withdraw the sand from the trap. There are various objections to the use of an ejector located adjacent the discharge end of the sanddelivery pipe. 7

My present invention has for its object to provide apneumatic sander in which the,

sand within the trap shall be agitated by a blast of air therein, but in which the withdrawal of the sand from the trap shall be effected by an ejector located adjacent the trap and discharging into the upper portion of the delivery-pipe. This and-other objects of the invention are hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a view in vertical section through v a pneumatic track-sander embodying my invention, this section being taken centrally through one of the compartments of the trap.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the trap shown in Fig. l, the portions of the delivery-pipe and their connections being omitted. .Fig. 3 is a detail inner plan view of the coupling between the delivery or discharge pipe and the trap. I

In the present construction of track-sander, as .in that set forth in Letters Patent No. 705,757, granted to me July 29, 1902, the easing of the sander is divided into two traps A and A by a diaphragm A that extends upwardly into the lower end of the sand-admission pipe B. This admission-pipe B will lead upwardly and connect with the sand-box, such as is usually located upon the top of the locomotive-boiler. Each of the traps A and A is provided with an outwardly-extending neck a, that is chambered, as at o to form a discharge port or channel, whereby the sand will be discharged from the trap into the corresponding sand-delivery pipe 0 or 0. Through the trap-necks a extend the air-channels d and d, that are formed, respectively, in the raised metal ribs D and D on the interior of the traps. With each of these channels at and '61 connects an air-delivery pipe E, that will lead from the cab of the locomotive or other convenient point and will be provided with suitable valve mechanism for controlling the passage of air through the sander in manner well: understood by those familiar with this class of devices. neck portion a of each of the traps Aand A is fitteda cap F, that is united to the neck a of the corresponding trap by an interiorly-threaded coupling-sleeve G, and this cap F is connected to its corresponding sand-delivery pipe 0 by a threaded joint, as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings As shown, the cap F is formed with arms f, (see Fig. 3,) supporting. a central portion f, through which is formed a hole f adapted to coincide with the discharge end of the corresponding channel d or d. Each of the caps F is provided with a pin f adapted to enter a hole in the raised portion D or D at the end of the neck a of the corresponding trap, this pin f serving to accurately hold in position the cap F.

At the inner end of each of the air-chan- Over the outer end of the nels d and d is formed a small port ed, by

to simply agitate the sand within the trap without forcing the sand from the trap into the sand-delivery pipe 0 or O. The withdrawal of the sand from the traps A and A is efiected by the ejector air-blast passing from the channels 01 d and ports f of the caps F into the upper ends of the sand-delivery pipes C and 0. Hence it will be seen that when the engineer desires to force sand, say, through the sand-delivery pipe 0, he will admit air to the pipe E,aud a portion of this air passing through the port (1 will agitate the sand within the trap A, while the air passing through the channel cl and port f into the mouth of the sand-delivery pipe 0 will suck the sand from the trap A and cause it to pass into and through the sand-delivery pipe 0 to the track. While the blast of air through the port 01 is insufficient to lift the sand from the trap A, it will serve to agitate the sand within the trap, so as to prevent it packing or clogging therein, and will permit it to be withdrawn from the trap by the ejector-blast, as above described.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

'1. A track-sander comprising a sand-trap, a pipe for admitting sand to the trap, a sanddelivery pipe through which sand will be withdrawn from the trap and an ejector-nozzle located beyond the trap but adjacent the upper end of the delivery-pipe and serving to producea suction of sand from said trap.

2. A track-sander comprising a sand-trap, a pipe for admitting sand to the trap, a sanddelivery pipe through which sand will be withdrawn from the trap, a blast-nozzle within the trap for agitating the sand therein and an ejector-nozzle located beyond the trap but adjacent the upper end of the delivery-pipe and serving to produce a suction of sand from said trap.

3. A track-sander comprising a sand-trap, a pipe for admitting sand to the trap, a sanddelivery pipe through which sand will be withdrawn from the trap, an air-channel located centrally ot the sand-discharge port of said trap, the sand-delivery pipe being connected to said discharge-port and an ejector-nozzle located in the mouth of said sand-delivery pipe and opposite the end of said air-channel.

4. A track-sander comprising a sand-trap, a pipe for admitting sand to the trap at its top, a, sand-delivery pipe through which sand will be withdrawn from the trap, said sanddelivery pipe being connected to the trap at its upper portion, a cap provided with an ejector-nozzle located in said cap and between the sand-trap and the sand-delivery pipe, and

a channel for supplying air to said ejectornozzle.

5. A track-sander comprising a sand-trap, a pipe for admitting sand to the trap, a sanddelivery pipe through which sand will be withdrawn from the trap, an air-channel located in the sand-discharge port of said trap, a cap fitting over said sand-discharge port and pro vided with an ejector-nozzle located opposite the end of the air-channel, said sand-delivery pipe being connected to said cap opposite said nozzle.

6. A track-sander comprising a sand-trap, a pipe for admitting sand to the trap, a sanddelivery pipe through which sand will be withdrawn from the trap, an air-channel extending beneath the sand-trap and having one end terminating at the sand-discharge port of said trap, a blast-nozzle leading from said air-channel into the sand-trap to agitate the sand therein and an ejector-nozzle located at the outer end of said air-channel and at the mouth of said sand-delivery pipe and at a point beyond the sand-trap.

7. A track-sander comprising a sand-trap, a pipe for admitting sand to the trap, a sanddelivery pipe through which sand will be withdrawn from the trap, an air-channel located in the discharge-port of the sand-trap, a cap fitting over said sand-discharge port and connected to the delivery-pipe, a coupling for uniting said cap to the sand-trap, said cap being provided with an ejector-nozzle adjacent the end of the sand-delivery pipe;

EDWARD M. I-IEDLEY. \Nitnesses:

ELWIN- B. RowLEY, ANNA L. KENNEDY. 

